Lips of an Angel
by awesome all the time
Summary: Yuna's an angel from the farplane sent to be Tidus's guardian angel. Will they be more than just guardian and human?
1. Watching Over You

**Disclaimer**: Don't own FF, or the music.

**Summary**: Yuna is an angel given the responsibility of being a guardian angel to a young man named Tidus.

**A/N:** This is my second FF fic. I hope you like it. My editor, Sahrah seems to like it better than my other one so hopefully you all will too. Please R&R!

**Lips of an Angel**

**Chapter 1**: Watching Over You

**(3rd Person POV) **

In the Farplane, the land of peace, there was a young angel who was about to receive a life changing responsibility. In this glittering, mystic place, a story was about to unfold and expand through the destinies of many a kind soul…

**(Yuna's POV)**

I was in my room when there was a knock on the door. I went to open it and saw Lucil, an angel with beautiful fiery red hair. I smiled.

"Lucil," I opened the door wider so she could enter, but she declined.

"Yunalesca," she used my full name, "Sir Yu Yevon would like to see you." I nodded and followed her to Yu Yevon. When we reached his door, Lucil left, and I proceeded in. The room was immense and incredibly immaculate. There was a bed, a desk, a closet, and a bathroom connected to it.

He was standing next to his desk, looking out a window at the expansive wonderland we angels call home. I bowed my head slightly. "Sir," I said. I heard his footsteps come closer as he sighed, "Dear Yuna, you need not be so formal with me."

I looked up at him and smiled. He'd been so kind to me for as long as I can remember. My father is his best friend and partner in work. They are two of the elders in governing the angels like myself. The leaders are Lord Yu Yevon, Lord Braska (my father), Sir Auron, Lord Kimahri and Lord Cid (my uncle).

Angels are granted White Magic; spells like Cure and Cura. We can reach out with our senses and try to find a person and sense if they're in need of help, or feel how they're feeling. Depending on the angel, they could have more, unknown magic or extremely powerful magic, such as Holy, magic that sleeps deep inside of them that they learn to unlock on their own.

The elders teach us how to access magic and prepare us for future tasks that might be destined for us. Of course, we're taught the fun stuff too, like battling in all situations, defending ourselves against other magic, and other languages/cultures. I guess you could say it's like a school, or an academy.

An angel's purpose/job can be a few things. They can watch over things going on in Spira to try to keep the peace, or guide an individual in making the right choice. Then there are the jobs of a Guardian Angel. In those cases, Yu Yevon picks a certain angel for the person in need, in which you were destined to help. To be a Guardian Angel, the angel must have a bond with the human.

"Why don't you take a walk with me, Yuna, and we can discuss why I have called you here," his voice was light as he opened the door. I nodded and followed him as we walked outside in the purple field of sparkling flowers and glittering Pyreflies.

"You have been doing well in your studies and I see much potential in you, Yuna," Yevon stated. I blushed slightly.

"Thank you, Yevon." We stopped walking at the glowing riverbed and he turned to look at me.

"The elders and I have been discussing this, and we feel that it's time that you see part of your destiny." I felt my eyes widen in surprise.

"Um, with all due respect, sir, my destiny!?! I have yet to turn eighteen this year and to finish my studies. I'm sure I don't know enough to even have my first mission," I blurted out quickly.

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong. You doubt yourself and lack confidence. You don't see your own potential, but we do. And we have seen what might be your future; what you're destined to do.

"There are still choices left undecided, and only you can choose, but we know you will do well. That's why…" he said as he waved his hand in the air, permitting a soft, dim glow from his palm. Pyreflies all came together in front of his hand and started to form an image.

It was a picture of a young man not much older than me. He was tan and had long, floppy, golden hair. He was tall and very muscular. His smile was pleasant and his eyes were…beautiful. They were a deep ocean blue color that you could swim in forever. He was handsome, to say the least; very attractive would probably suit him better.

"…You'll be given your first assignment," Yevon concluded when the picture was completed. I looked at him in shock.

"And what exactly is my assignment?" I wondered, looking back at the young man.

"You will be given the honor of being his Guardian Angel. His name is Tidus Alamsy. He is the only descendant of the famous Blitzer, Jecht Alamsy." I tore my eyes away from the image and at Yevon in surprise.

"Sir Jecht's son!" Yevon nodded and smiled. "Why does he need my help?" I asked.

His brows furrowed and the Pyreflies disappeared. He aimed his hand at the water now. Another image of Tidus appeared, only this one was real. It was like we were looking into a window and seeing him. He was lying in a bed, sleeping, but he looked different. There were dark bruises and gashes on his face. I winced at the sight of him and looked away.

"A few years ago, Jecht's wife died while trying to give birth to another child. Neither the mother nor the baby made it. Jecht became very depressed and started drinking. Tidus tried to help, but all Jecht wanted was his wife back. To him, Tidus was simply a painful reminder of what he lost.

"Soon, the drinking became an addiction, and so did their hate for each other. All Jecht cares about now is Blitzball and his son becoming a professional. When Jecht gets upset or mad, he drinks and hurts Tidus to soothe his own pain."

"That's… awful! Horrific!" I cried out. I wanted to cry for him. To be there for Tidus… and yet I didn't even know him. Which was most likely part of the bond required for Guardianship. Yevon must have seen the anguish on my face, for the image of the broken young man disappeared.

"How could someone do that to their own son?" I asked Yevon, suddenly feeling very grateful for my life.

"I don't know, dear child. Sometimes people make bad choices and don't think about the consequences their actions will cause. In this case, Jecht's actions will eventually influence Tidus to do the same thing.

"Right now, he will do everything he can to not be like his father but he will grow up around that lifestyle, so it is familiar to him. You must try to help him to be his own person. To help him see not only the bad things, but the good things in life, too." I looked at Yevon with doubt and worry.

"How will I do that? What if I fail him…and everyone here?" I murmured, looking down. He placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"You won't fail, of that I'm sure. It may be unclear to you now, but everything will come together when the time is right. You can do this, for you, Yuna… you are _good,_ and you _always_ bring the best out in everyone." I smiled at his encouraging words.

"Now, here are Tidus's files. Interests, schedule, grades that type of thing. You will be sent to Zanarkand tomorrow. You'll be placed in a house next to his and will go to his high school. No one will know that you're an angel but him. He will realize it himself and from there you make the choices." I took his file and looked up at Yevon.

"Have faith in yourself, young one. We all know you can do this. If you want to check up on him just think of him and use the pyreflies or the water from the river. I also must tell you, so that you are not alarmed when watching, that you may have telepathy with him.

"Sometimes guardians and their subject can hear each other's thoughts. Now go and get familiar with him." I nodded and started walking back when I didn't hear him coming. I turned around and saw him looking out at the view.

"Aren't you coming back, sir?" I asked. He didn't turn around but I knew he was smiling.

"In a little bit. I'm just going to enjoy the view for a while…" he sighed. I kept walking and made my way back to my room. I plopped down on my bed and spread his file out while I lay on my stomach.

I had found out that he liked to play Blitzball, and played it rather well. He gets relatively good grades and has many friends. I took the picture of him that they had paper clipped to the top and held it up to my face. I was studying his handsome features when my cousin, Rikku, came bouncing.

"Oh Yunie! I just heard the news. I'm so happy for you. Everyone's talking about how you've got you're first assignment, and it's being a **_Guardian_**!" She lay down on the bed next to me and squealed as she looked at his picture.

"He's cute isn't he? And he's famous! That's even better! You're so lucky!" I rolled my eyes and continued doing what I was doing before she interrupted me.

"Well, I've got to fly, Yunie! Someone's gotta spread the word about your hottie! See ya!" Rikku scurried happily out of the room. I looked at the picture once more, sighed, and decided to see how Tidus was doing.

I grabbed a crystal bowl out of my bathroom and sat it on my bed. I poured the special pitcher of river water that I had into it and laid down on my stomach again. _Tidus… _I thought as his name echoed inside my head until his image came up.

He was lying in his bed with his arms behind his head just looking up. At first I thought he was looking at me but I soon realized he was just lying there. He looked a little pained and winced when he moved only a little. I hated seeing him all beat up like that. I titled my head to the side as an idea came to me.

I wondered if I could use a Cura spell on him even though I wasn't actually in his presence… I decided to try. I closed my eyes and focused on him and only him. I felt my chest vibrate and heard a soft humming come from me. It was a slow and sweet sound that surprised me, for I didn't know that could happen when curing someone.

I didn't think much of it though because I wanted this to work. I opened my eyes, still focusing on him and humming, and saw that something must have been happening for he had a surprised look on his face. I aimed my hands at my crystal bowl and sung his name in the same tone and melody of my humming.

I saw the cuts slowly heal as a soft glow emitted from my hands. A relaxed look come across his handsome face and I knew it was working. His skin glowed slightly as the spell sunk in. My humming slowly subsided and small smile appeared across Tidus's face.

"Sleep now, Tidus, everything will soon be fine…" I whispered and watched as his eyelids slowly closed and a sigh escaped his lips. I smiled and waved my hand over the image, making it disappear, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

**(3rd Person POV)**

What Yuna didn't know was that, she too, was being watched, by all of the elders.

"See, it's already happening…their Trials begin." Lord Braska said as he watched his daughter cure Tidus. A Trial was a term used by angels meaning their destiny; the trials they would face in the path of their intertwined fates.

"She's already falling in love with him; she just doesn't know it," Sir Auron replied stoically. They all nodded.

"What happens next will be left for them to decide. We can only hope and give her advice sometimes. Additionally, we must watch her fail and succeed, get hurt and be happy," Yu Yevon explained sadly, for he knew that there would indeed be some failure and some sadness. To all of them, Yuna was like a daughter, and they didn't want to see her in pain.

But that could not change. Pain and suffering were simply links in the chain of fate, the chain that grows and grows until the very end of time.

**(Tidus's POV)**

I woke up feeling better than I did when I went to sleep. I was still a little sore, but not much. I got up and went to look at my face in the mirror. I had this really weird dream last night. I heard this voice… it was amazing and sweet. It called my name and as it did I saw a colorless glowing light appear. The face of a beautiful girl slowly shone through.

Her face was gentle and soft. Her skin was a glowing peach color, which made her eyes stand out more than they already did. They were two different colors: one was deep emerald and the other was a deep cerulean. She had silky chestnut hair and was very beautiful. She had this strong vibe or sense to her that made her angelic. She seemed to be something surreal and supernatural.

As I looked at her, I felt as if I was slowly healing…like her face and voice took away all of the pain. Like she was sent to help me. I felt relaxed and heard her voice fade out. I didn't want it to stop; it was a heavenly song. Just when I thought my dream had ended, I heard her voice again. Only this time it was a whisper and seemed to echo in my mind all night.

I made it to my mirror and was surprised to see that the cuts were gone. The swelling and bruising had gone down, but not all the way. I touched my face in doubt. Maybe my old man was trying to play a trick on me and had put some kind of fake mirror in here.

It was a real mirror though; I felt no cuts or major swelling. Again my mind found its way back to my dream…could it not have been a dream after all? Could the girl have been real? I shook my head. I must have gotten one too many beatings to the head, but…that didn't explain how I healed so quickly.

I decided to get ready for school so I wouldn't be late. I didn't hear Jecht, but I didn't want to chance running into him, so I grabbed my stuff and headed out my window. I dropped my backpack on the ground and climbed down the drainpipe. I picked up my stuff and headed towards my car.

As I was walking I noticed that the _'For Sale'_ sign was gone for the house next door. I wondered who was moving in. Probably some old lady that throws rocks at people, or a bunch of rambunctious kids. I got in my car and headed for what was probably going to be the best part of my day; school.

**(Yuna's POV)**

I woke up early so that I could gather what stuff I'd need. Rikku came by to help me pack but when she showed up she went straight to closet and started picking out clothes. Typical Rikku. I was ready to go and went to meet the elders in The Chamber of Elders.

"Yunalesca, you are ready to conquer the Trials before you?" Yu Yevon asked.

"Yes," I replied firmly. He nodded.

"We, the elders of the angels, have come together and are granting you your wings," He told me as my face lit up. Angels were only granted their wings when the elders thought you were ready. The wings only appeared when you when you wanted them to and were very beautiful. They were immaculate white feathers that sparkled and glittered in the light and had a gentle glow to them.

"In your wings, you hold a gift. The gift of protection, strength and courage to stand up against your enemies and to bear a great load." I looked at all of them and thanked them.

"Now remember, Tidus will be the only one who will know that you're an angel. That means no one else can know about your abilities and gifts. If anything they will think that you're are an amateur white mage." I nodded. They all closed their eyes and the room became engulfed in a bright light; they were transporting me to Zanarkand.

"Goodbye, Yuna, and good luck!" I heard them say as my surroundings changed and I was placed in an already furnished house. I was standing in a hallway with many entryways to different rooms. Next to the front door there was a small table with a lamp, a cordless phone, and a clock sitting on it. A mirror was placed above it. There was a note lying on the table with a set of keys next to them. I picked up the keys and read the note:

_Dearest Yuna,_

_We have already unpacked for you and placed new furniture to your tastes in this household. The keys are to the house and to a car in the garage. _

_Your name will be Yuna Lesca and you will tell everyone that asks, except Tidus who will know the truth, that you have moved here from Luca, to go to a better school, by yourself. Your father, who is still in Luca, paid for this house and had everything set up for you._

_We will miss you and will be watching over you. We will help when we can and wish you good luck!_

_With all of our love,_

_Your family_

I smiled and put the note back down. I looked down at the keys and decided to check out my car. I ran to the garage and opened the door to a red convertible! I squealed and ran to get a better look. It was an automatic; it had black leather seats and a great CD/stereo sound system. This was so awesome of them to do this for me.

I left the garage and decided to explore the rest of the house. All of the rooms were big and luxurious. There was a kitchen, dining room, living room and a guest bathroom downstairs. Upstairs there were two bedrooms, two bathrooms and then there was mine, the master bedroom.

It had a huge oak bed with tall bedposts and a feathery mattress, a walk-in closet, a balcony, and a bathroom. The bathroom had a deep bathtub, a separate shower, and a long mirror that reached all the way across the top half of a wall above two sinks.

I opened the doors to my balcony and looked down at my backyard. There was a pool and a Jacuzzi. I looked over and saw that I could see into one of the rooms in Tidus's house.

I went downstairs and stepped out of the house. There was a nice porch with a swinging bench next to the front door. I smiled and sat down in it, swinging back and forth slightly. My house and Tidus's were at the end of a cul-de-sac on the street. Our houses were angled so that we could see on to each other's porch.

I was looking at his and from what I could tell no one was home. I closed my eyes and reached out with my senses to see if there was a presence in there; there wasn't. That's when I heard a car driving this way. I sat there and watched as it pulled into his garage. Someone got out of the car, and once I saw the choppy blonde hair, I knew it was Tidus.

**(Tidus's POV)**

I pulled up my driveway, my stomach doing summersaults and my hands holding the steering wheel in a death grip. All this fear for the place that I'm supposed to call home.

I took a slow breath and got out of the car. That's when I noticed her. There was a girl about my age sitting in the swing outside in the recently sold house. She got up and headed towards me, smiling. When she got out of the shade of the house, I almost fell over in shock. She was the same girl from my dream.

Her skin was glowing in the sunlight, she had the bi-colored eyes, and she had the chestnut hair. There was that same soft, gentle look on her face. She was slender and was wearing a white summer dress that looked great on her. How could this be the same girl? It was just a dream, right? I quickly smiled back, not wanting to look like a complete idiot, and met her halfway.

"Hi, are you my new neighbor?" I asked.

"Yea, I'm Yuna," she smiled and offered me her hand. Once I heard her voice, I knew she was the girl. I could never mistake that voice. But did that mean she was something more than just a beautiful girl?

I took her outstretched hand in mine and immediately felt something. Was it relaxation? Or was it something else? I felt like I had no troubles or worries at all; it was just she and I standing there. It was the same feeling I had last night…

"I'm Tidus," I remembered to talk to her. She smiled and her skin continued to glow. I couldn't help but feel at awe around her. I'd never met someone like her. That's when I noticed that I was still holding her hand.

I let go and looked away, embarrassed, apologizing to Yuna. Her cheeks got a little pink, but she said it was ok. I guess I wasn't the only one embarrassed. I looked at my house and sighed, knowing what was coming next. I was going to have to leave this amazing girl and enter the house of doom and get the crap get kicked out of me once more.

**(Yuna's POV)**

I saw the gloom in his eyes as he looked at his house and wished so much I could do something to help him. That's when I heard some of his thoughts.

'_I'm going to have to leave this amazing girl and enter the house of doom and get the crap kicked out of me once more.'_

Somehow, I used some of my powers to hear his thoughts.

'_You don't have to you know, he's not home…yet.'_ I thought. I didn't mean for him to hear it, but he must have, because his eyes shot back to mine in astonishment. This must have been part of the warning Yu Yevon gave me about telepathy. Neither of us said anything for a few minutes. What was there to say?

"Tidus, I—"

I didn't finish, because I saw his dad driving up the street. He turned and looked.

"Crap," he mumbled. I looked back at him, knowing what was going to happen if he didn't go inside now. I was going to do whatever I could to prevent him from taking such a beating. I reached out with my senses again and tried to feel Jecht's mood.

I smiled as I realized today was a good day for him. He wouldn't do anything today if Tidus was home and doing what he was supposed to. I got bold and placed my hand on the side of his face and made him look at me.

"Hurry and go, he won't do anything if you're doing what you're supposed to be doing," I whispered hurriedly. He looked at me for a moment and I caught another one of his thoughts.

'_How did she know I was worried about him doing something? How does she know he won't?'_

I shook my head, _'I can't answer you right now… just go!'_

He turned around and ran inside. I watched him go and then turned and watched as his dad pulled up. He got out and looked at me. I smiled brightly at him. He smiled kindly and walked over to me. I held out my hand to shake.

"Hi, I'm Yuna. I just moved in next door," I grinned, trying to give Tidus as much time as possible.

"I'm Jecht, nice to meet you," Jecht smiled back and let go of my hand. "Where'd you move from?"

"Luca. My dad wanted me to go to a better school, and suggested Zanarkand. So here I am!" I told him with fake enthusiasm.

"Of course he suggested Zanarkand, it has the best _everything_! So what grade are you in?"

"I'm a senior," I stated.

"Oh, you'll be with my son, Tidus, then."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, he looks like me and he plays blitzball, only I'm better looking and I play better," Jecht said, winking. I smiled, but on the inside I was disgusted. "Well, it's been nice talking to you, but I should be getting in now. Nice meeting you."

"Yea, you too." I watched him walk away. I felt someone watching me and looked up at a window in Tidus's house. He was standing there looking down at me. I smiled and stood there watching him for a few minutes before waving and walked back into my house.

I walked into my room. The doors to the patio were still open but I didn't shut them cause a nice breeze was coming in. I sighed and lay down on the bed.

Being around him was certainly different than watching him. I don't know what this feeling is but when I had been near him, I had felt… different. I'd never felt like this in the Farplane. What is this feeling? What does it mean?

I got up and pushed the power button on the stereo on my dresser. I wanted to see my wings, so I decided to check them out. I closed my eyes and brought both of my hands together in front of my chest.

I let my body relax as the rhythm of the song moved my body. I concentrated on my wings and opened my eyes. I saw the white glow appearing by my back, in between the shoulder blades. Soon my wings had appeared.

They were long and beautiful! They sparkled in the light and each feather was unique in its own way. I turned around and looked at myself every which way in the mirror as the lyrics started.

_It's really good to hear your voice saying my name  
It sounds so sweet  
Coming from the lips of an angel  
Hearing those words it makes me weak  
And I never wanna say goodbye  
But girl you make it hard to be faithful  
With the lips of an angel It's funny that you're calling me tonight  
And yes I've dreamt of you too _

By now I knew the melody and words of the song and started singing along. I learned that my wings could bend to form a protective wall around me. They could stretch out, go up, and go down. They could pretty much do whatever I wanted them to do. I put them away and changed into a tank top and shorts, still singing and dancing around the room.

_Sometimes I wish she was you  
It's really good to hear your voice saying my name  
It sounds so sweet  
Coming from the lips of an angel  
Hearing those words it makes me weak  
And I never wanna say goodbye  
But girl you make it hard to be faithful  
With the lips of an angel _

**(Tidus's POV)**

I was in my room doing homework when Jecht came in. He looked at me shocked as if he expected me to not be here. He didn't say anything, he just left after that and turned on the T.V. downstairs.

I sighed in relief. I looked out my open balcony doors across the way to hers. I stood up and walked over to the doors. I heard her stereo playing Hinder's, "Lips of an Angel." I could here her voice singing along with it. Every pitch and line was perfect. She twirled past the window, and I leaned against the wall with my eyes shut, listening._ It's really good to hear your voice saying my name  
It sounds so sweet  
Coming from the lips of an angel  
Hearing those words it makes me weak  
And I never wanna say goodbye  
But girl you make it hard to be faithful  
With the lips of an angel  
(And I never wanna say goodbye)  
But girl you make it so hard to be faithful  
With the lips of an angel_

She was definitely the girl from my dream, or should I say last night? I guess it wasn't a dream. That means she healed me… but why? I almost didn't care why as I stood there listening to her sing. All I knew was that there was something different about the girl next door.

**(The Elders' POV)**

"Hmm, a very interesting start," Auron commented as the elders watched the two.

"Yes, he believes she healed him… but he's not sure what she is," Lord Kimahri stated.

"She's doing well, I think. This will be the first night that Tidus hasn't gotten hurt while she's there," Lord Cid added.

"Hopefully, there will be more good nights, but we all know that Jecht won't have a good day everyday," Yevon replied.

"She's starting to realize her feelings a little bit. She just doesn't know what they mean yet. Him too." Braska pointed out. "I'm quite anxious to see how she does tomorrow at school." They all nodded in agreement.

The day was over, with the angel and her charge sleeping soundly through the night. The Trials had begun, and there was no way to stop the events set in motion. Fate was locked, destinies were decided, and the future for the two sleeping people had been decided long before their time.

Just like a link in a necklace chain, the chain of fate that grows with time is held together by every single link. And the link for these two already holds so much together.

**A/N**: So what did you think? Good, bad, horrible, awesome? What? Please Review and stay tuned for the next chapter.


	2. Taking Care of You

**Disclaimer:** Don't own FF.

**A/N:** Here is chapter 2. Thanks for all of your reviews so far.

**E/N**: You're so formal.

**Chapter 2: Taking Care of You**

**(Yuna's POV)**

I got up and got ready for school. It was about 7 o'clock when I was just finishing up, and I heard Tidus talking. I looked out my window and saw him throw his backpack out the window. I kept watching and saw that he was talking on a cell phone.

"Yea, I'll be there soon. Tell the coach I'll be there in five minutes." He hung up and put the phone in his pocket, disappeared for a minute, then came back and was putting on a shirt. I quickly backed away from the window for fear of being caught and took my stuff downstairs and got in the car.

I left before he could get to his own vehicle and made my way to school. I found a parking spot and headed to the mean office. Upon stepping in the office doors, I was greeted by a cheerful old lady behind a desk.

"Hello, miss; what can I help you with?"

"I'm here to pick up my schedule," I told her. I stepped up to the counter and told her my name.

I looked out the window as I waited and saw Tidus pulling into the parking lot. He threw his backpack over one shoulder and started walking in the direction of what looked like the stadium. I watched him disappear and turned my attention back to lady helping me.

She handed me a small piece of paper. I thanked her and left. It contained my classes and a locker number. I found my way around the school easily and already knew where my classes were by the time the bell rang.

My first class was Magic. I smirked. _This should be easy_. I walked into the class and noticed that the teacher hadn't arrived yet. Most of the students were already here just talking.

I decided to head to the back of the room until the teacher returned when I felt my senses warn me; a heated object was coming towards me. I quickly turned around and focused on the spell '_Nulblaze'_. The fireball dispersed as it came nearer and I saw everyone gaping at me. Everyone, that is, except a girl leaning against the wall on the other side of the room.

She had extremely light skin and long, dark hair that was in a bun with braids hanging down. She had piercing burgundy eyes and wore a black dress. She raised an eyebrow at me.

"So the new student's a White Mage," she pondered. "Interesting."

"A Black Mage, fascinating," I countered. She pushed off the wall, smiled, and came towards me.

"I'm Lulu," She held out her hand.

"I'm Yuna," I was about to take it when, again, my senses warned me. She was going to use Blizzara on me when we shook hands. I focused on Fira (A/N: I'm not sure if white mages can use spells like fire but oh well.) and shook her hand. Both spells released when our hands touched and steam arose from the ice melting. Her smile widened as everyone started whispering around us.

"Very interesting…" Lulu murmured.

"I thought you would have learned your lesson the first time. I guess not."

She laughed and released my hand. "I like your style, Yuna." I grinned in return. Then the teacher walked in.

"Ah, Lulu, I see you're already welcoming our new student. I hope it's a peaceful one," He suspiciously looked at her.

"Of _course_, Mr. Black," Lulu replied, looking somewhat innocent. He looked at her for a minute and then told the class to sit down. She turned back to me and rolled her eyes. "Come on, sit back here." I followed her to some seats in back and sat next to her.

Since I already knew the stuff he was teaching I didn't really have to pay attention. Lulu sat there and told me about the class. We laughed occasionally and talked about some of the things going on in the school. Apparently everyone was excited about the big rivalry game against Luca coming up soon.

The bell rang and we got up and left the room. Next, I had the history of Spira, which I already knew, so again another easy class. I said goodbye to Lulu and entered the class.

I just took a seat in the back and watched as the time ticked by slowly. The teacher was a slow talker and made me want to go to sleep. When the bell finally rang, I sighed with relief when I got out in the halls. I had one more period until lunch and I couldn't wait. When I was walking down the hall, I saw a familiar blonde boy walking towards me.

**(Tidus's POV)**

First period was Blitzball practice, and the coach was going hard on us since the game was coming up. After that I had Al Bhed with Wakka and Gippal. It was same old stuff and I wasn't paying attention because I couldn't stop wondering how Yuna knew about Jecht and my worries yesterday.

I kept thinking about her all day, despite that I hardly knew anything about her. I didn't even know what school she was going to. I wasn't focusing on what Wakka and Gippal were talking about until I heard him mention something about a new student.

"Dude, did you hear about the new girl?" Wakka asked.

Gippal shook his head. "Nah, what's her name?"

"I think it's Yuna. I heard her and Lulu had a little 'fun' in magic today. Everyone in their first period class has been talking about it. Apparently this Yuna girl's a White Mage."

I drowned out the rest of their conversation. She was going _here_! I totally zoned out the rest of the period until I heard the bell ring. I was leaving with Wakka and Gippal right behind me.

"Dude, Tidus, you alright?" Gippal asked as we were walking down the hall.

"Huh, oh yea."

"I think someone's thinking about the new girl," he poked me. I just looked at him and rolled my eyes. I looked back in front of me and saw her walking towards us.

"Whoa, is that her?" I heard one of them say, but I couldn't answer. She smiled when she saw me and I felt the corner of my lips go up automatically.

"Hey, Tidus," Yuna called when we got closer.

"Hey, Yuna, you didn't tell me you were going here!" We stopped walking in front of each other.

"Where did you think I'd go, silly?" She laughed and then looked behind me. I realized she was looking at Wakka and Gippal. I felt a nudge on my arm and quickly introduced them. Gippal winked at her and Wakka kept staring; I felt like smacking them both. If Yuna hadn't been there, I probably would have.

"So, what class do you have next?" I asked.

"Math." I felt myself get excited as I told her I had that class too.

"I'll walk with you, see you guys later." I nodded at my friends as I left with the brunette girl. She waved and walked beside me. I kept thinking of a way to ask her about yesterday, but I couldn't come up with anything.

I looked at her from the corner of my eye and saw her looking at me too. She smiled and looked away quickly. We reached the room and I opened the door for her. We both sat down in the back in silence.

I watched her as she took out a notebook and wrote down what was on the board. Her every movement was graceful and perfect. What was it about her that seemed so different?

"Yuna, I need to talk to you," I whispered as more people came in the class. She looked up from her paper and the look in her eyes told me she knew what I was talking about.

"At lunch, not now," she mumbled as the bell rang. I nodded and tried to focus on the lesson.

**(Yuna's POV)**

The bell for lunch rang and my heartbeat quickened, as I knew what was coming next. Tidus was going to ask me about… me. I grabbed my stuff and looked at him as the class emptied out.

"What'd you want to talk about?" I asked pleasantly. He looked around the room and grabbed my hand.

"Come on, let's go where we can talk in private." I felt butterflies in my stomach at the feeling of his touch. He led me outside under some trees. He let go of my hand and looked at me.

"How…did you know what I was…?" His voice died away and he looked at the ground.

"What you were thinking?" I asked, finishing his sentence. He looked into my eyes and nodded. I sighed. "Why do you think I knew your thoughts?" I asked.

"You said that nothing would happen…and nothing did. How did you know that? There's no way you could've known."

I bit my lip as I tried to think of a way to answer that without telling him that I was an angel. Yevon said he would discover the truth himself so I would just let him keep asking questions.

"And then there's the whole healing thing. I saw you in a dream, or what might have been a dream, and you healed my injuries. You weren't even here yet, let alone in my room, how could you've done that?

"I know you're a White Mage, but you'd have to be a really powerful one to do something like that and…how'd you know where I lived and that I needed curing? You'd have to be something other than a White Mage." I raised my eyebrow at him as he kept rambling on. He was getting closer.

"What do you think I am then, Tidus?" I challenged him. His brows furrowed.

"You're going to think I'm crazy," He sighed.

"Maybe not," I smiled.

"Are you some kind of—" he stopped and looked at me.

"_Why can't I just say it? 'Are you an angel?'"_ I smiled as his thought rang in my head clearly.

"_Yes," _I thought softly. His eyes grew wide as he continued to stare at me. He opened his mouth and was about to say something when someone called his name. We both turned to see his friends Wakka and Gippal walking up.

"I'll try to explain later," I whispered as I looked back at him. He sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair.

"Dude, where have you been? We didn't see you at lunch." Gippal called as they got closer.

"Yea, I was talking to Yuna." Tidus replied never taking his away from mine.

"I should probably go," I told him. "I'll talk to you later though." It was a promise. He nodded and I turned around and left. This wasn't going to be as easy as I thought it would be.

The rest of the day passed by quickly. I couldn't wait to get back to the house. I grabbed my books from my locker and headed to my car. I saw the Blitzball team standing on the field with the cheerleaders. I rolled my eyes while putting on my sunglasses and started the car. I drove past them all and ignored the looks the girls were giving me.

I got home fast and noticed something different about Tidus's house. I don't know what it was but it gave me a bad feeling. I set my stuff on the floor in my room and lay on the bed.

It seemed like a lot of things have happened already yet this was only the beginning. I was starting to miss everyone back home as I sat here thinking. My eyes got heavy and I started to drift off. That's when the dream occurred.

_I was in a house. The layout was somewhat familiar but the furnishings weren't. My stomach was uneasy and my hands were shaking as I stood there. Something was wrong. I heard yelling coming from somewhere in the house and tried to follow the voices. _

_I slowly walked around until I saw two men fighting. As I looked more closely I noticed that they weren't fighting, but rather one of them was beating the other. I tried to move forward to help the one in need but it seemed that my feet were stuck to the ground. I strained to see their faces but the man being beaten was on the ground and the other had his back to me. _

"_Stop!" I yelled but it was no use. It was like they couldn't even hear me at all. The beating stopped for a moment and the man tried to get up off the floor. He was immediately met with a kick in the ribs. I winced and felt a tear slide down my face as I heard a deathly cracking sound when the foot hit the bone. _

_The body fell back to floor and the beater turned to leave while yelling and cursing. When he finally looked away from the bloody man and at me, I felt my breath hitch. It was Sir Jecht… that's when I realized who was on the floor. It was Tidus! _

"_NO! Tidus…" I cried as more tears came and Jecht just left his son lying there. A door slammed and made me jump…_

"Tidus!" I screamed as I flew up off my bed breathing hard and crying. I looked around me and realized I was in my room. I sighed in relief. I glanced at the clock on my dresser. It read six o'clock. Man, I was out for a while.

I was torn from my thoughts when I heard a door slam and ran to the window to see a mad Jecht leaving his house. The panic and worry came back to me now. I needed to get over there and see if Tidus was all right.

I summoned my wings and opened the doors to my balcony. I stepped back and ran towards his open doors. I stepped off the balcony railing and felt my wings spread open wide as I soared through the air and into his room.

I landed on the floor and looked around; he wasn't there. I quickly opened the door and ran downstairs not bothering to put my wings away. I reached the kitchen and saw him lying there.

"Oh my God, Tidus!" I went to his side and carefully flipped him onto his back, laying his head in my lap. A sob escaped my lips as I looked at his face. It was worse than the time I saw him in the Farplane.

I needed to get him off this floor to see where else he was hurt. I gathered as much strength as I could and picked him up in my arms. My wings opened, slowly lifting us off of the ground. I flew up the stairs and into his room. I gently laid him down on the bed. He moaned but didn't open his eyes.

I carefully started checking his injuries. His face was bruised badly and was bleeding in a few places. You could tell he'd been hit there many times. His head wasn't bleeding but I'm sure it hurt a lot. My hands started shaking as I knew where I had to check next: his ribs.

It wasn't just any nightmare I had; I must have had some kind of connection with him. All of this was real. That means that loud, cracking sound must have been real too. I lifted up his shirt and saw dark bruises already forming. He definitely had a least one broken rib. I went into his bathroom and got a towel damp so I could clean up the blood.

As carefully as I could, started cleaning the blood off his face. After many trips back to the bathroom to rinse the towel out, his face had no more blood but a few cuts and many bruises. I sat down on the edge of the bed beside him when his eyes fluttered open and he looked around the room before looking at me. He was about to say something but I placed my finger against his lips.

"Shh, don't speak now Tidus. You must rest; I can only heal you half way. We can talk when you've rested some. I'll explain everything, I _promise,_ but you've been hurt badly…" I trailed off as I looked at his face. He nodded and then quickly looked around the room tensing slightly.

"He's not here, he left about an hour ago. Relax," I placed my hand on the side of his face. "I'm watching over you," I whispered and smiled, his body seemed to unwind a little. "Now I'm going to heal you so that you can sleep." He nodded again and watched as I placed my hands above his chest.

Like last time, a humming came from my chest as bits of white magic formed at my palms. I tried to use more curing power than I did last time. I felt my wings spread out and glow brighter as I summoned more power.

I felt the magic flow into his body as my strength decreased. My humming stopped and my hands went back down to my sides when his pain went away. I felt drained but willed my self to stay strong.

My wings went back down to my sides and disappeared, for I wouldn't need them for a while. I got up off the bed and was going to sit down in a chair when he grabbed my hand. I looked down at him.

"Don't leave," He whispered in a weak, raspy voice. I smiled and slowly walked back to the bed, still holding his hand.

"I'm not leaving, I promise. I'll be here while you sleep and when you wake up." I sat down on the bed and rubbed small circles on his hand. "Now rest, you'll feel better." He looked at me for a long time until the battle for sleep finally won him over.

His grip on my hand didn't loosen for a while, as if he was sub-consciously making sure I didn't leave him. I slowly let go of his hand, got off the bed and tried to clean up the blood downstairs before Jecht came home. It was about 9:30 when I finished.

I went back upstairs to check up on him. It looked like he was sleeping peacefully. I sat down in his desk chair and relaxed a little myself. I was worn out from curing him. I closed my eyes, for what seemed like ten minutes, and woke up with a blanket covering me.

I looked around and saw that his bed had one less blanket on it than it had when I was awake. I got up, wrapped this blanket around my body, and checked to see if Jecht was home. He wasn't.

I looked at the clock and saw it was 12:30. I wondered how late Jecht usually stayed out at night. I looked out his balcony doors at the night sky. It was so beautiful and peaceful. It made me feel relaxed just looking at it.

I heard movement and turned around to see Tidus sitting up. I noticed he had taken off his shirt and changed into pajama pants since I was asleep.

"How are you feeling?" I questioned, walking to the side of the bed.

"Better than I did." I nodded as I looked at his face in the moonlight. I put a finger underneath his chin and moved his head slightly left and right.

"The bruises aren't as bad. They'll probably be better in the morning." I told him. "But your side is different," I placed my hand gently on the skin. "That'll probably take a few days to fully heal." We were silent for a few minutes when he asked what I thought he would ask.

"How did you know that I was hurt?"

"I saw it in a dream. I… I saw it happening and then woke up when Jecht left. I thought it was just a nightmare but when I heard him really leave, I freaked out a little." He looked down at his hands and then back up at me.

"Why are you here helping me? I just don't understand," His brows furrowed as he tried to get out what he was thinking. I knew what I had to do, though; I had to explain everything to him. So I did, everything from about the Farplane to now. By the time I was done it was around two o'clock and I was seated across from him on the bed.

"I understand if you don't believe all of this." I said.

"I do," He replied quickly. I smiled.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"There's just something about what you're telling me that seems true. I have this feeling about you that makes me know you're more than just a human; something more special than that," Tidus grinned sheepishly, and I blushed.

"… Like… that I'm you're Guardian Angel?" I murmured, looking in his eyes.

"Yea, my Guardian Angel…" His voice faded and I slowly looked away; I felt his eyes stay on me though. I heard a car coming and ran to the window. Jecht was back. He was pretty drunk and would most likely pass out as soon as he reached the couch. I was surprised that he could even drive here. I felt Tidus move next to me and looked up. He looked out the window and clenched his jaw as Jecht pulled up.

"He's too drunk to even make it up here. He'll pass out almost immediately," I muttered. He nodded and kept watching, his eyes dark. I touched his arm and made him look at me with my other hand.

"Please, calm down," I said, trying to sooth him.

"I hate him so much. He's screwing his life up, and trying to screw up mine, too!" I felt the muscles in his arm tighten as it started to shake.

"You're a better person than he is, Tidus. And by being the better person, you can't let him control your life like this. You have to control your anger. I don't want you to end up like him." I rubbed my hand up and down his arm as he calmed down.

"Don't let that happen, Tidus. You can do this. You're not alone; I'm here for you." His eyes softened. The front door slammed and made me jump. "I should go, in case he does make it up the stairs and catches me in here."

"How are you doing that exactly?" He questioned. I smiled.

"I do have wings, you know." He raised an eyebrow at me. I closed my eyes and focused on them. They appeared quickly as I opened my eyes. His mouth was open and his eyes were wide.

"…Whoa." I grinned and then remembered that I needed to leave.

"I need to leave and you need to get some rest. The spell won't have its full effects if you don't." I started floating slowly as my wings flapped. "I'll see you in the morning!" I kissed his cheek and winked as I flew across the distance to my balcony. I turned around and saw him still standing there.

'_Lay down already before you get in trouble!'_ I thought. He smiled and disappeared. My wings disappeared and I fell into a deep slumber as soon as my head hit the pillow.

**(Elder's POV)**

"I'd have to say the day went well," Auron commented.

"Yes, they both handled it nicely." Braska agreed.

"I think it's time we sent in our first surprise for her. Cid, you know what to do," Yevon said as he looked at Cid. He nodded and left the Chamber of Elders.

And once again, it was night. Slowly fading into the cold, blue darkness was the conscious of the two young people, bound together by fate. With the setting sun comes rest. With the rising moon comes a wish. With the rising sun comes the promise of tomorrow. The rising sun brings hope.

A/N: Well, I hoped you like it. Please R&R!

E/N: I hope you liked it, too! And if you don't review, I'll… I'll… I'll feed Yuna to Seymour (Yevon knows he's a cannibal) and watch Tidus cry! Muahahaha!


	3. Getting to Know You

**Disclaimer:** Don't own anything.

**A/N:** Another update. Sorry for the wait. Please R&R! Enjoy!

**E/N:** Wow, your disclaimer is so not specific. We don't own the characters, places, or songs. But we own the horses- you'll see what I mean.

**

* * *

Chapter 3: Getting to Know You**

**(Yuna's POV)**

I woke up almost two hours before my alarm went off and couldn't get back to sleep. So instead, I got ready. By the time I was done and had everything in my car, it was still too early to go to school.

I looked around trying to think of something I could do to entertain myself, when my eyes landed on Tidus's balcony. It was probably still too early for him to be awake so I could just, you know, fly over there and check up on him. I smiled at the idea and did just that.

I got to his balcony and landed softly, carefully opening the doors, allowing just enough space for me to enter and creep in. I looked over at his bed and found him still asleep. I went to the side of it that was closest to him, carefully avoiding some of the pillows on the ground, and sat down on the edge.

He was lying on his back with the blankets covering his legs and down. One arm was behind his head while the other lie at his side. His head was facing me and his golden locks were covering his eyes.

As if it had a free will of its own, my hand made its way to his face and lightly brushed away the hair. My fingertips gently caressed his face as I gazed at him. His wounds seemed better and appeared to have left no permanent damage to his good looks at all.

My eyes and hand slowly traveled down his perfectly muscular and tight chest to the now dark purple bruise on his side. It was a little bit smaller than my hand but covered a lot of his side. I wondered if this was the worst his beatings had gotten, or if they've been more horrible. I cringed at the thought of even worse abuse suffered, especially suffered alone.

I noticed that his breathing had changed and removed my hand before he woke up completely. I looked down and saw him open his eyes. A small smile graced his lips when our eyes met.

"Hey," I whispered, smiling back.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Is Jecht still here?" He asked; I nodded.

"He is, but I wanted to see how you were doing. I was just going to check up on you and leave but I guess I woke you up, sorry," I said giving him an apologetic look. He laughed a little and shook his head.

"No, don't worry about it. I had to get up in a little while anyway; I just wasn't expecting to see you here so soon again. Especially since you left only like—" he turned his head and looked at his clock before looking back at me, "four hours ago. I guess you just couldn't get enough of me, huh?" he asked, grinning boyishly. I rolled my eyes and threw one of the pillows off the ground at him. He caught it with ease and chuckled.

"Whatever, go back to sleep. I'm leaving now." I got up off the bed and was heading for the door when he grabbed my arm and turned me around.

"No, don't, I-I was just joking! I--"

He was interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. We both froze and listened intently as we heard Jecht walk past the door, grumbling under his breath, and answer the phone.

I looked down and noticed that Tidus still had my hand in his. I looked back up at him but he was just staring at the door. I wasn't sure if he was more worried that I would be caught in here or if he was scared that Jecht was going to beat him for something. But whichever it was, I wasn't going to let him share it alone. I interlaced our fingers and stood closer to him. He looked down at me and smiled.

We couldn't hear the conversation but when it ended we heard him coming towards Tidus's room. I looked around; there was no way I was going to be able to make it out of the doors in time or without Jecht being suspicious of Tidus hiding something.

"_Get in bed, act like you're asleep!_" I thought and tried to let go of his hands and run, but he pulled me back and searched my eyes desperately.

"_What are you going to do? You can't make it out."_ I shook my head.

"_Don't worry, I'll hide! Just lay down before he thinks you're hiding something!"_

He looked at me for a minute but got in bed. I quickly and quietly ran into the bathroom and hid in the tub. Luckily, it was so deep there's no way he would be able to see me in it from the doorway. I heard him open the door and enter the room.

"Wake up, boy!" Jecht yelled harshly. I heard Tidus move around in the bed before he spoke.

"What is it?" He questioned, feigning tiredness.

"Watch your tone. I just got a call from my manager and I'll be leaving for a while. Now you'd better not do anything while I'm gone and if I find out you did, you're gonna _get it_ when I get back! You hear?"

"Yea," Tidus grumbled. "When are you leaving?"

"Mind your own business boy! Don't you have school or something?" Jecht raised his voice.

"Yea, yea I'm going," he mumbled. I heard the door shut and waited for a minute before I got up. I tried to search Jecht's mind to see when he was leaving. _Today_! Tidus came in and turned on the light.

"He's leaving today!" I whispered in case he was, for some reason, listening. He smiled and helped me out of the tub.

"Do you know how long he's going to be gone?" I shook my head. I could see the look of disappointment in his eyes.

"Don't worry; he's at least going to be gone for a few days. There's some time that you don't have to wonder if you have to be scared to come home or not. That's good." I smiled trying to make him feel better.

"Yea," he sighed. I looked at his clock and grinned. "What?"

"We've still got some time until school starts. So why don't you get ready and then we can grab a quick breakfast? It'll be my treat." He raised an eyebrow at me but nodded. "Ok, good. Meet me in front of my house when you're ready."

"Just give me a few minutes." He said.

"Alright," I walked to his doors and flew back to my house. I grabbed the car keys off of my dresser before making my way to the car.

**

* * *

(Somewhere in the Farplane)**

The two angels watched Yuna and Tidus for a while. They were leaving for breakfast when the image was cleared by one of them.

"Ugh! I can't stand to watch _that_ any longer!" she yelled.

"Shh, you need to be quiet. We can't be caught! Do you want to be punished?" he hissed at her, quieting her down.

"I know, I know but it makes me mad. First the Elders decide to let her have an assignment, then they let her be a Guardian Angel and she's not even half as good in her studies as us! Next she and this human are getting closer than I'd like," she snarled.

"Then let's do something about it." An evil grin graced his lips as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"What are you thinking?" she inquired. His smiled widened.

"This is what we do…"

**

* * *

(Back to Yuna and Tidus; Tidus's POV)**

I sat there listening tell me about herself as we ate. She was simply intoxicating. The more she talked, the more I wanted to listen. How could someone so sweet and perfect just end up in my life? How is it that she was put with me?

Was I falling for her? I found myself dreaming of her last night after she left and always end up thinking about her one way or another. Maybe I am starting to like her, but does she think of me that way? Or am I just her 'subject'? Or was I her 'charge'?

"I think we'd better get going. We don't want to be late." She said getting up. I nodded and followed her to her car. As we're pulling out this unfamiliar song came on.

_It hasn't always been this way  
I remember brighter days  
Before the dark ones came  
Stole my mind  
Wrapped my soul in chains_

_Now I live among the dead  
Fighting voices in my head  
Hoping someone hears me crying in the night  
And carries me away_

_Set me free of the chains holding me  
Is there anybody out there hearing me?  
Set me free_

_Morning breaks another day  
Finds me crying in the rain  
All alone with my demons I am  
Who is this woman that comes my way?  
The dark ones shriek  
They scream her name  
Is this the one they say will set the captives free?  
Rescue me_

_As she passes by  
She looks straight through my eyes  
The darkness cannot hide_

_Do you want to be free?  
Lift your chains  
I hold the key_

_The Power of Love and Destiny belongs to me_

_You are free  
You are free  
You are free_

I glanced at Yuna, who was smiling softly as she listened to the music. The lyrics were almost symbolic of my own life. They made me think. About, of course, Yuna.

How long was she going to be here? How is she supposed to help me? What's the purpose of her being here? What's going to happen when she leaves? What's she going to do? What am I going to do? Will my life be the same? Will _hers_?

I looked at her for a moment. Was she as worried about this as much as I was? Is she thinking the same exact questions I am? Does she have answers? She seemed so unfazed by all of this. Am I anything she thought I was going to be? Has she missed her home a lot since she's been here?

So many questions that I didn't have answers to. Questions that I wasn't sure if I would be able to come up with answers for. I was taken out of my thoughts by her voice.

"I do miss home, you know. It's different there than it is here," she said, looking at me with an all-knowing half-smile. I was stunned for a moment, forgetting that she could hear my thoughts, and then quickly asked her how. She turned her attention back at the road and smiled.

"There, it's more mystical. There's a certain atmosphere. It's so peaceful and calming. As if you were in a dream-like state, and everything around you was perfect in every way.

"The air has a sweet aroma to it, and the scenery is breathtaking. The glowing riverbed, glittering flowers that have a soft and gentle shade of color to them; it's like a forest of softness, gentleness and stillness that all comes together.

"Everything seems to work together for the same purposes. Everyone seems to have the same principles and work together as a collective. In a sense, we are all each others family. Not in the way of birth or blood, but by our goals and ideals in life.

"We want to help others, not for our sense of joy, but for the sense of the joy of others. Our goal is to make peace and happiness for everyone. Even if it means that we are not as happy and satisfied."

"But that doesn't seem fair. Having a goal of making others happy but not making yourself happy." I interrupted, confused as we parked in front of the school.

"Sometimes in life, Tidus, we have to be able to give up our happiness for the happiness of others. It's not always about us. It is just one of the lessons in life that you must be aware of and be prepared to take action with." She turned and looked at me.

"It is a sacrifice, sometimes. At times, it can be painful. And sometimes, sacrifice isn't always as simple as happiness. It may be more complex or complicated; more hurtful than loosing satisfaction or joy." Her voice became softer, more somber, and her eyes seem to become distant, as if she were reliving a distressing memory.

"There is a choice, sometimes. The other person, or yourself. Sometimes you must sacrifice joy to make someone else happy, give up your comfort for the comfort of another, throw away your pride to result in someone else gaining respect, forfeit friends, push away feelings of love for the righteousness of duty."

Her voice died away and her eyes remained distant. She stayed silent for a minute. Then she seemed to remember that I was still there, and she glanced at her watch.

"We should get to our classes. The bells going to ring in a few minutes. I'll meet you back here after school, unless you have practice?"

I shook my head, dazed, wondering what exactly she was saying about sacrificing. How many of those sacrifices has she made? For whom?

"Good. I'll see you later, then." I nodded and walked slowly towards my first class, my head still spinning with questions I might never know the answer to.

**

* * *

(After School: Tidus's POV)**

All day, I couldn't stop thinking about what she had said. The way she acted didn't seem right. She seemed a little upset, disturbed by something. What was she sacrificing? Before I knew it, I was almost to the car, and there she was, smiling. She was always smiling, it seemed. I put my stuff in the back and got in.

"You ready to go home?" She stuck the key in and started the car. I was about to say yes when I thought of something. Maybe I could show her around Zanarkand and she wouldn't feel so far away from home. She wouldn't have to think about her 'sacrifices'. I smiled and shook my head.

"Why don't you let me drive, and I'll show you around Zanarkand a little bit, hmm? It'll be fun, I promise and Jecht is gone, so why not? What's anther better time than now?"

"Ok," she grinned. We switched seats and I headed in the opposite direction of home. I was trying to think of something I could say when I thought of the game tomorrow. I wondered if she was going.

"You know the big game's tomorrow don't you?" I asked her, trying to see if she was going. I mean, I didn't really want to act obvious about it, which was hard to do, remembering she can read minds.

"No, I didn't actually. I heard you were playing Luca though."

I nodded, "You should go." She raised an eyebrow at me. "I mean, it's the biggest game of the season, and since it's the first time you've ever been here for one, it'd be a lot of fun." She didn't say anything but I saw a playful glint in her eyes. Maybe she could tell that I wanted her to go. Mind reading, after all.

"I'll think about it," she said after a few minutes. I nodded but figured that was a yes.

**

* * *

(Yuna's POV)**

He wanted me to go very badly. I didn't even bother reading his mind; it was all over Tidus's face.

"Here we are," he said as he parallel-parked on a street and ran around to open the door for me. "And here it is," Tidus smiled. "Zanarkand!"

It was a beautiful city, unlike my own hometown, with skyscrapers and sidewalks congested with people, many of them chatting on their cell phones. The streets were lined with businesses, stores, restaurants, and many other interesting things.

"Wow," I breathed. I noticed a sign that lead the way to a museum in one direction, and a city park in another. I kind of wanted to go to the museum, but Tidus would be bored (for a teenaged boy that was completely familiar with this place, a history museum would not be entertaining), so I opted for the park.

"Can we go to the park?" I asked.

"Sure," he said. "It's a nice day, and it won't be too crowded."

We wove through the nest of humans and reached the park, which looked especially green and inviting in comparison to the industrial city. I watched a child run after a dog while his mother sat on a bench, laughing from behind the pages of a romance novel.

Elsewhere, a girl on a first date with a boy she liked very much sat unhappily, the couple sitting awkwardly with their kites, for the day was not windy at all, and they didn't really know what to say to one another.

Tidus was watching curiously as I took a breath and blew gently, a gust of wind picking the two kites off the grass and pulling in such a way that the boy and the girl were pushed together.

"Satisfaction, guaranteed," I said wryly. Tidus laughed. He took me through the park, pointing out statues and their historical significance (actually, he just read the plaque). We stopped once for ice cream, received from a vendor who was also selling balloons.

"Horses!" I exclaimed. There was a line of horse-draw carriages that went through the streets of Zanarkand as a kind of tour. We took it (The driver told us the horses were named Minerva and Fiasco, and that the two were mother and child)

Minerva and Fiasco pulled our carriage into the heart of Zanarkand. I saw what Tidus called 'The worlds biggest toy store ever built' and the great fountain in the center of the city, spitting water high into the air and creating an arch under which we drove, the light sprinkling of water falling onto my face and hair.

After the ride was over, the driver let us feed the horses carrots. I fed Minerva, and Tidus fed Fiasco.

Sadly, the adventure came to a close, seeing how it was getting late, and Tidus drove me home.

**

* * *

(Later, Yuna's POV)**

He pulled the car up into my driveway and into the garage; I decided I would give him a tour of the house. There was something different inside the house though. It was weird, I didn't sense any danger or anything, but the aura coming from it was something familiar.

We entered the house and I led him to the living room first. I put my stuff by the couch and then took him through the dining room, flipping on the lights, and headed into the kitchen.

I was about to turn on the light when I heard something move across the way. My senses told me to move over but then whatever was coming would hit Tidus, so I pushed him away and was immediately tackled to the ground.

I didn't have time to see who it was, for it was definitely a person. So I gathered up my strength and flipped our bodies over and got my defense ready. I was about to release Fira when I heard familiar laughter.

Tidus turned the lights on, and to my surprise, I saw that it was Rikku that I was pinning down. My mouth dropped and my eyes opened wide as I released my magic.

"Rikku?" I asked, shocked. She laughed more.

"Hiya, Yunie! I didn't think ya'd pin me like that. Let alone almost roast me! Geez, at least you're on you're guard." I smiled apologetically and helped her up, hugging her fiercely.

"What are you doing here? How did you get here?" I blurted out questions, wondering if she snuck here or was sent.

"The Elders sent me for a surprise! They knew how much you miss home, so they sent me to make sure you're not all professional-like and are having some fun!" She looked behind me for a moment and then smirked. "Although, now I'm sure you're staying entertained."

"Rikku!" I blushed and was thankful he was behind me. I turned around to find a very confused and very red Tidus.

"Tidus, this is my cousin, Rikku. She's an angel too." He smiled slightly. I looked at Rikku. "Rikku, this is Tidus." She smiled brightly.

"He's much cuter in person." She whispered not that quietly. He scratched the back of his head and looked down.

"Um, I think I'll get going, Yuna," he mumbled. "Nice to meet you, Rikku. I'll see you at the game tomorrow, Yuna." With that he left and Rikku immediately attacked me with questions about him. I rolled my eyes and was so happy it was a Friday night. Then I stopped.

"Hey, waitasec, I didn't agree to go to the game yet!"

**

* * *

(Elder's POV)**

"Very good, very good," Kimahri grunted. They nodded except for Yu Yevon.

"There's something disturbing going on," He whispered as he stared off in the distance. Braska looked around at the others than at him.

"What do you mean?" He placed a hand on Yevon's shoulder. He was tense.

"Here, in the Farplane, something is brewing that will disturb the peace." His voice was thick with stress and worry.

"The peace here, or with Yuna?" Auron questioned. Yevon turned looked around at everyone.

"Both,"

**

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the very, very long wait. I've been busy but hopefully updates will be more regular. Thanks to all of you for reviewing! Please review more!**

**E/N: **MINERVA AND FIASCO. I was just editing and those names just totally had to be put in as randomly as they popped into my head. Dude those are some awesome names. Cheers!


	4. Complications with Loving You

**A/N**: Hey everyone, sorry for the super long wait. I hope you enjoy this one. I think it's my longest chapter. It took me longer to write this one because I wasn't sure how fast I wanted to make things move. But I finally just did what I wanted, lol. Hope it's good. R&R!

**E/N**: Why does it always end with me doing the disclaimer? Agh. We don't own the characters, the sport of Blitzball, the locations, or the music; although I'm sure that whoever does is making more money than us.

**

* * *

Chapter 3: Complications with Loving You**

**The Farplane: The Elders:**

"Lord Yu Yevon, Maesters! There is a group of people with guards heading our way and they carry the sign of a Maester with them! Can it bet the Guado?" A servant of the Elders exclaimed, running into the Elders' Chamber. Yevon looked at the others.

"Could it be? Have they come already? They usually don't come until later in the year, when we have had our group of newly graduated angels. What could be the purpose of this?" He implored, looking at all of them in wonder in his eyes.

"Why have they come unannounced?" Cid growled.

"Milord, what shall I do? Should I tell the guards to open the gates and let them in?" The servant asked timidly.

"Yes, tell them to open the gates. We will meet our guests ourselves. Get the Royal Guards to gather at the gates and be ready for their arrival; we must still retain proper etiquette," he answered back and nodded, dismissing the servant. The servant bowed and left quickly.

"Do you think it is wise to welcome them so openly when there are strange things going on? This may have something to do with the disturbance you felt." Braska warned. Yevon thought a moment before shaking his head, smiling a little.

"Dear Braska, theses are our brothers. Maybe they bear news that need be shared. Regardless, we will not simply grant them a rude laissez faire. I do not believe there is anything to worry about." He placed a hand on Braska's shoulder. "Do not fret. Let us go and welcome them."

They left the Chamber and headed for the main gates. All around, the angels were bustling with excitement. One of the Grand Leaders from the other side of the Farplane was here! On the Farplane, there were two main cities (if they could truly be called cities). Both had academies that would train their angels; the one the city where Yevon and the Elders lived, and the one on the other side of the Farplane.

There was really no difference between them, except that theirs was made up more of the Guado, and Yuna's home was more diverse.

The Elders were at the gate waiting with the Royal Guards on both sides, standing upright when the group approached. It was a party of 50 or more angels carrying the flag of the Guado Maester. The guards stepped aside and bowed as the Elders came forward to meet their guests. Jyscal Guado stood there in the center, smiling.

"Jyscal, my brother, how are you?" Yevon greeted, hugging him.

"Good, my friend. And how are all of you?" Jyscal asked, looking at the rest of the Elders. They nodded and smiled. Jyscal turned to his left slightly and held out his arm, beckoning the young man to approach. "You remember my son, Seymour?" He asked. Seymour bowed and smiled.

"Ah, yes. You were just entering the academy the last time I say you though, if I remember correctly." Yevon replied.

"He has just recently graduated and will be turning of age very soon. Once he does, he will start going into special training to become an apprentice Maester," the Guado Maester boasted proudly, his eyes dancing.

"Really, that is quite an honor," Braska voiced.

"Yes, it is," Seymour responded smoothly. Jyscal looked around the Elders for a minute before looking at Braska. "Where is your daughter? I believe the last time we saw her was a year before she was to start her training."

Now it was Braska's turn to brag. "Yes, you just missed her though. Yuna has started her first assignment a few days ago." He tried to hide his grin at the surprised look on Jyscal's face.

"And she has not yet graduated, correct?" Jyscal presumed. Yevon nodded. "She must be very advanced for her age, then, for you to allow one so young to already be on her own." He commented, impressed.

"She works very hard," was all Yevon said in reply. "Come, let us show you to your rooms and then give you a tour of the city. It has been long since your last visit." He proclaimed and opened an inviting arm to show the way. Jyscal followed first and then Seymour and his small party before the rest of the Guado angels followed. No one noticed the sly glance that Seymour and one of his party members shared as they entered the gates of the city…

**

* * *

(Yuna's POV)**

Rikku and I were up most of the night talking. It was nice to have someone from home with me now. I felt less lonely. I mean, I didn't feel alone with Tidus or anything, but, with Rikku, I could talk about anything. We talked about home for awhile and then she asked many questions about what was going on here. I told her everything that had happened, though she'd probably been watching.

"So…" she said looking at me when I had finished telling her about yesterday. We were sitting on my bed, in our pajamas. We had slept in late and decided just to be lazy today. The balcony doors were open and a cool breeze was filtering through the open doors.

"So… what?" I asked totally unaware of what she was talking about. She raised her eyebrows and smiled. "So do you like him?" She giggled. Is _that_ what she wanted to know? Oh geez. I just rolled my eyes and found myself gazing out the open doors to his balcony. I could see him moving around in his room. I sighed deeply.

"I don't know Rikku…" I trailed off. She looked at me skeptically. "I mean, I'm his Guardian Angel."

"And?" She demanded. I looked away from her face, struggling to find the right words.

"I can't just _like_ him. This isn't some dating game. My duty here isn't to try to fall in love with the person that I'm supposed to help."

"Oh, that's crap! You couldn't give me a better excuse than that?" My head shot back towards her with wide eyes. "'It's not my duty.' Oh give me a break, Yuna! Do you honestly think that the Elders expect nothing to happen to angels when they're sent down here?

"Out of everyone I know, I thought you knew that the most. One of the many purposes of these 'assignments' is to find yourself and become who you're supposed to be, and if that means finding love also, then that's meant to be!

"Unexpected things that you never planned on will happen when you come here. And it's not like the Elders don't already know what's going to happen while you're here anyway. So what's the big deal? It's not like it's a bad thing to fall in love with your subject, anyway…"

I was somewhat surprised to be getting _this_ lecture from _Rikku_ of all people. She sighed and paused for a moment. She looked at me and smiled. I know what was coming next.

"That's how your mom and dad were, after all." I looked away and back at Tidus' room. The doors were slightly open and I could hear him talking to someone. I looked down at my hands and opened my mouth to talk but closed it when I couldn't find the words to say. She reached over and took my hand.

"She was his— "

"Stop, please, Rikku… I don't want to talk about them anymore," I whispered.

She smiled sadly and hugged me. We sat there in silence for a few minutes. "So, do you like him?" she asked, suddenly all perky and happy again. I took a pillow and threw it at her.

"Man, Rikku, you just have to know, don't you?" I giggled when she threw one at me back.

"Well, you never answered my question!" Rikku squealed, ducking as a pillow came hurdling her way. In seconds, the innocent pillow throwing turned into a full on pillow fight. When we stopped we were both plopped down on the bed, exhausted.

"Are you _ever_ going to answer my question?" she asked.

I looked up at the ceiling. It wasn't a hard question. I'd only known him a few days but it seemed like I'd know him a lifetime. There was obviously a connection between us; I could feel it, and I'm sure the Elders must have known about it too. There was just something about him; besides his good looks.

He was nice and caring, but there seemed to be more to him than that. There was just something about him that I was…attracted to. Maybe it was the way his smile brought butterflies to my stomach, the way his smoldering gaze held mine, or when he tries to act like his life his going perfect when really it's a mess.

I felt the corner of my lips twitch the more I thought about him. "A little," I said quietly.

"A little what?" Rikku smirked.

"I like him a little, ok?" I said a little louder and bit my bottom lip as she squirmed beside me.

"Oh yea, I knew it! You like Tidi-Widi!" she sang as she danced around the room.

"You," she stopped for a moment and pointed her finger at me, "---like Tidus."

I groaned and pulled a pillow over my head, trying to block out the sound. I was getting ready to get up and leave when I heard it.

"Who likes me?" A bemused but pleased voice asked, coming from the balcony. My breath hitched for a second. Had he heard that? Would Rikku open her mouth? I quickly jumped up and looked in that direction.

"Someone!" Rikku crooned, laughing at me with her eyes.

"No one," I sighed, coming to stand next to her on the balcony. I pretended I didn't see her excited green eyes on me and continued to look at Tidus. He smiled his genuine smile.

"Of course someone likes you, Tidus, who doesn't?" commented a voice from his room. I realized it was Gippal before he even walked out. He came up next to Tidus, fiddling with his cell phone.

"What's up, Yuna?" Gippal asked without even looking up.

"Gippal," I greeted. I couldn't say anything more for I was mesmerized by the look Tidus was giving me.

His eyes seemed to have some kind of control over me, and I couldn't look away. I struggled to elsewhere and felt my cheeks burn when I finally tore my eyes away from him.

I looked down and tried to ignore the feeling of Rikku's intense stare on me. I guess she hadn't missed that.

"Well, hello there. Who might you be?" I looked up to see Gippal staring at Rikku. She raised an eyebrow at him and smiled coyly.

"What does it matter to you?" she asked smartly. His nice smile turned into some kind of grin, his eyes sparkling with delight. Aww. He'd made a new friend.

"Oooh, feisty!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Have you been to the library recently?" Rikku asked sweetly. "Because you flirt by the book. And you're not as good at it as you think."

I saw Tidus snicker and turn his head when Gippal glared at him. She cocked her head to the side and bit her bottom lip. He didn't seem the least bit discouraged though, as he placed his hand over his heart and tried to look hurt.

"Ouch! You sure do know how to hurt a guy."

"Oh, did that hurt? I wasn't even trying," she put her hands behind her back trying to act innocent.

"And the punches keep comin'. I don't know how I'm gonna play the game if I'm so hurt…"

"Is that so? Well, you might want to get better soon or else I guess you're not playing."

"I might feel better if you said sorry." He pouted.

"Ok, I'm sorry… that you have bad pick up lines," she said. Tidus couldn't help but laugh now. Gippal just smiled.

"Okay, I get it; going to play hard to get. That's ok, l like a challenge," he smirked and winked at her. "I'll see you at the game. Come on, Tidus; let's go before we're late." Gippal smiled one last time at Rikku and then turned and left. Tidus shook his head and was about to leave when he look back at me.

"You coming?" I knew what he meant. The corners of my mouth went up slightly.

"Look for me in the stands," I confirmed. Tidus smiled and nodded before turning and leaving. Rikku tugged at my arm and pulled me back in my room.

"Come on, Yunie, let's get ready!"

"Rikku, it's not for a couple of hours. We have plenty of time," I told her. But she seemed to be ignoring me. She ran toward the closet and immediately started throwing out clothes.

_Great, this is going to take forever to clean up now._ I started picking up clothes as she grabbed an outfit and ran into the bathroom. I looked through the clothes and found something I wanted to wear and joined Rikku, deciding I might as well do the same.

We arrived at the stadium what we thought was early, but there were already plenty of people there. People were already in lines to enter, and there was security everywhere. We were entering the stadium when a security guard tapped me and Rikku on the shoulders.

"Are you Yuna Lesca?" he asked stiffly.

"Yes," I answered warily.

"Tidus has reserved a seat for you and your cousin. So if you'll follow me, we'll take you there." His eyes shifted toward a side entrance and the guard there nodded and opened it.

Rikku looked at me and smiled as she nudged me. I rolled my eyes and walked through the door. We followed the man through tunnel-like passage ways until we reached some seats that were closer to the sphere and had a good view of everything. We sat down and watched as the players all started getting into the pool. I saw Tidus and Gippal enter last, and the crowd went absolutely wild.

Tidus turned in our direction and I saw him scanning the crowd.

_'Are you here?'_ I heard his thoughts ring out clearly. I couldn't help but smile and chuckle lightly.

_'Of course, we're sitting in our __reserved__ seats.'_ His eyes shot over to us and he grinned. The girls behind us started giggling; probably thinking he was smiling at them.

I just looked at Rikku and rolled my eyes. The announcer announced that the game was about to begin. Tidus and Gippal went to the middle of the pool. The whistle rang out, and I saw the players all take a deep breath.

The game started with Tidus stealing the ball and swimming rapidly towards the other team's goal. He was blocked by a big guy from the other team, and I could see his ocean eyes looking around worriedly for his own team. He caught sight of a short girl with magenta-colored hair and hurled the ball towards her.

She caught it efficiently and forced her way through three of the other team's defense, and then passed it to Gippal. Gippal did a sort of flip under the player who was in his way and threw the ball lightning-fast, and with enough force to break through reinforced glass. The force of the ball was so powerful that the goalie couldn't stop it.

"ONE GOAL FOR THE ZANARKAND ABES!" cried the announcer over the loudspeaker. The entire dome went even crazier, screaming themselves hoarse. The ball was brought back to the center and thrown up again.

"BLITZOFF!" the announcer called as Tidus dove for the ball only to be shoved brutally to the side by another player. Another guy from the Abes managed to steal the ball from an agile, slender girl with short teal hair and chuck it back towards Gippal, who missed it, and the other team scored past the Abes goalie, a muscular guy with a shaved head.

"NOW IT'S ONE-ALL, PEOPLE!" The ball was served once more, and the game went on for five minutes, with the Abes scoring five more goals and the other team scoring two. The whistle screamed across the arena, proclaiming that it was halftime, and the entire player swam out through two team exits near the bottom of the giant sphere. I saw Tidus give me a thumbs up as he disappeared from my sight.

The girls behind us squealed again, and Rikku and I exchanged annoyed glances. She started talking loudly.

"Yunie, you're SO lucky! Tidus actually asked you on a date!" Without turning, I heard the girls' breath stop for a moment, and they were quiet.

"Yeah, but I don't know if I'm going to say yes or not," I played along, enjoying the horrified reaction of my charge's fans.

"Well, I totally think you should," Rikku continued. "Oh, look, game's back on!"

Just to mentally kill the girls further, I waved crazily to Tidus. He saw me and waved back. This time, the girls remained silent.

"AAAAND, BLITZOFF!" The ball was served, this time with Gippal to retrieve the ball first and pass it quickly to a smaller guy on the Abes. The guy looked pretty weak, but his tackle completely shut out two members of the other team, and he threw it to the girl with magenta hair (I later found out her name is Maria), who threw deftly, only to have the ball caught by the goalie.

He threw the ball back into play to the girl with the teal hair, who passed it to another guy on her team.

Tidus stole the ball, glanced at the timer, and swam as fast as he could to the other goal. The timer was running out, with thirty seconds left, and the only way to score was to get past all five of the offensive players on the other team. Twenty five seconds.

Tidus pointed upwards and threw the ball to Gippal, who threw the ball so high it flew above the entire dome. Tidus soon followed. I'd never seen anyone swim so fast. Fifteen seconds.

He flew out of the water, and flipped high above the dome, finally slamming his foot into the ball and pummeling it through the water. Ten seconds.

The ball soared past all the other swimmers, and eventually found it place in the back of the other team's net.

"AND GAME! THE GAME GOES TO THE ZANARKAND ABES!" After that, the players left, the dome drained, all the while with the crowd screaming their jubilation.

Tidus and Gippal ran over to us, still dripping wet, grinning from ear to ear. The two girls that we'd silenced threw themselves loudly at the two guys, but they sidestepped them and Tidus threw his arms around me and actually picked me up.

"Ack!" I shrieked. "Put me down! I like the floor!"

"We won, Yuna!" he grinned. "We won!"

"Congrats! Put me down!" I blushed scarlet. Gippal stepped towards Rikku, probably to do the same, but she stuck out a sandaled foot and pressed it to his chest, stopping him.

"Not to fast," she waggled her finger at him.

"Aww, come on! We're celebrating!" he whined.

"Nuh-uh." Rikku shook her head. Gippal frowned, then grabbed her shoe and bolted.

"IDIOT, YOU GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!" she shrieked. She chased him all the way out of the dome, until finally catching him and beating him with the stolen shoe. All the while, he never stopped laughing.

**

* * *

(The Farplane, in the Elder's Chamber)**

The Elders and Maester Jyscal were in the chamber talking about old times and events going on in their cities when Jyscal asked for their attention.

"I wish to tell you the main reason we, the Guado, have come unannounced today," he said looking around at all of them. "As you know, Seymour will someday take my place and lead the city of Guadosalam, but I feel as though our cities are growing apart. They are not as united as they once were when we first started these academies." The Elders nodded in agreement.

"For many months I have been trying to find solutions. I tried and tried to think of a way to bring our cities and people closer together, and could not come up with a solution for many nights. Then, a few days ago, a reasonable solution presented itself to me.

"Seymour had asked what had been troubling me, so and I felt the need to share this with him, to see what he thought; to see how he would react in a similar situation in the future. And know you what he said?"

Jyscal smiled as the others waited. "He suggested that in order to restore closeness in the people, we should bring two people together, one from each city, and unite them through marriage. We would choose two people that many look up to and would easily listen to and go to for guidance; two that would preserve our ways."

Yevon looked around at the others and nodded his head admiringly. "It is a wise idea, one that could work very well."

"Yes, do you have any two people in mind?" Braska asked curiously.

"Well, yes. I was thinking my son, since he is to be a Maester, and…your daughter, Yuna," Jyscal answered. It took a minute for it to sink in before Braska stood up from his chair.

"My daughter? Yuna? But…why?" he asked, his voice shaky.

"She is the daughter of an Elder, for one. It only seems suitable that the leaders would be of leadership blood. And she is a fine young woman that I could see bringing peace and unity back. You think not?" He questioned.

"Well, yes, I can see it, but… shouldn't we have seen this?" He turned to the Elders, looking and Yevon. He looked down.

"Not everything is seen, my friend." Jyscal stared at Yevon for a moment and then at the others.

"Why do you look so sad? This is a great honor for them both." He said smiling. "What does Seymour have to say about his bride? Shouldn't he have a choice?"

"Oh, he has had a say in the matter. He's the one that chose her."

"But we just can't marry them off. She should be able to have a choice—

"Braska, you know the rules we all agreed on many, many years ago. When it comes to city-known proposals that will someday affect the societies and people, the choices are to be made according to backgrounds.

"The male may choose his bride from those standards that have been laid out, and the one of his choice shall accept, willingly or not. It isn't her choice to make. We all have followed those rules and shall keep them going on," Jyscal replied, getting angrier with every passing moment.

"He is right, Braska. The rules have never been broken. If he has chosen her, she must marry him." Yevon said quietly. Braska plopped down in his chair, defeated.

"But what of her assignment? We're not going to just take her away from it! That would be breaking the rules of the academy. 'Once an angel has been given an assignment and started it, they must complete it with no interference from us,'" he said with hope still in his voice. Jyscal had forgotten about the academy rules.

"Yes, we mustn't send for her. Seymour still has a while before he is of age anyway." Jyscal looked down for a moment. "But it is settled. They will be wed." Braska knew she'd have no choice.

"Yes, it is final." He replied in monotone. "Good, we'll set the date either when he turns of age or if she returns sooner. Well, I'm off. It's been a long day. Good night!" he said cheerfully and left the Chamber. Braska sighed and looked around.

"Be calm. This isn't all bad. This _is_ a great honor," Yevon said reassuringly.

"I know, but I just feel uneasy about it."

"It might be because your daughter is being taken away from you, in a sense, and you're not ready for her to go away yet; let alone become a leader. Braska, you have to let her grow up; make her own decisions."

"That's the thing! She doesn't get to make a choice here!" He yelled. He never wanted Yuna to have to be stuck in a situation like this.

The room became silent except for the dying echo of Braska's voice.

"You never know, she may like the idea and want this as much as Seymour does," Auron told him.

Yuna's father looked around and sighed. "…maybe."

**

* * *

(With Jyscal and Seymour)**

A chair flew across the room and broke when it hit the wall.

"What do you _mean_ she will not be summoned back!?!" Seymour yelled, outraged, breathing heavily.

"I did what I could, but Braska found anyway he could to prolong this. I hadn't thought of the academy rules because I didn't think they would apply. But she has not yet graduated." Jyscal said quietly, hoping to calm him down.

"Then what was decided?" Seymour asked his father impatiently.

"It was agreed upon that as soon as you came of age the arrangements would begin, or if she came back before then." He said slowly, hoping it would not trigger another angry flare. Seymour's face became red and his shaking fists clenched and unclenched but he stayed where he was.

"That is too long," he said between clenched teeth.

"Seymour, you must understand there is nothing I can do. We must follow the rules; you will just have to wait." He walked to the door and was about to leave.

"I want to see her. Send me to Zanarkand. I demand to be sent along with one of my companions," Seymour snapped.

Jyscal turned around and looked at him sternly. "It is not for me to decide here; it's the Elders'. You may make your requests to them." Then he quickly left, leaving an angry Seymour behind.

**

* * *

(Yuna POV)**

We went out to eat to celebrate their win. Gippal came along too of course; it was easy to tell that he was interested in Rikku. It was fun. We talked and laughed a lot.

_You are fine  
You are sweet  
But I'm still a bit naive with my heart  
When you're close I don't breathe  
I can't find the words to speak  
I feel the sparks  
but I don't want to be into you if your not looking for true love, ohh  
no I don't wanna start seeing you  
If I can't be your only one, oh oh  
So tell me when it's not alright  
When it's not ok  
Will you try to make me feel better?  
Will you say alright? (Say alright)  
Will you say ok? (Say ok)  
Will you stick with me through whatever?  
Or run away  
(Say that it's gonna be alright. That it's gonna be ok)  
Say Ok. _

Once Rikku took the salt shaker and unscrewed the lid almost all of the way. When Gippal's food came, he took it and poured it onto his French fries. All of the salt went everywhere and we were laughing so hard.

_When you call I don't know if I should pick up the phone every time  
I'm not like all my friends who keep calling up the boys, I'm so shy  
But I don't wanna be into you  
If you don't treat me the right way  
See I can only start seeing you  
If you can make my heart feel safe (feel safe)  
When it's not alright  
When it's not ok  
Will you try to make me feel better?  
Will you say alright? (Say alright)  
Will you say ok? (Say ok)  
Will you stick with me through whatever?  
Or run away  
(Say that it's gonna be alright. That it's gonna be ok  
don't run away, don't run away)_

Every once in a while I would catch Tidus's eyes on me. I would quickly look away, but felt my face heat up. I would get this feeling in my stomach every time I did look, and felt it even more every time I felt his stare and didn't look.

I found myself looking at him from the corner of my eyes wondering if he was staring at me, wondering what he felt.

_Let me know if it's gonna be you  
Boy, you've got some things to prove  
Let me know that you'll keep me safe  
I don't want you to run away so  
Let me know that you'll call on time  
Let me know that you won't be shy _I

tried to ignore these feelings for awhile but found myself unintentionally welcoming them into my heart. That's when I realized, Rikku had been right. I do like him, but what she didn't know was that I was _afraid_ to like him. I was _afraid_ to fall in love with him…

_Will you wipe my tears away  
Will you hold me closer  
When it's not alright  
When it's not ok  
Will you try to make me feel better  
Will you say alright? (Say alright)  
Will you say ok? (Say ok)  
Will you stick with me through whatever?  
Or run away  
(Say that it's gonna be alright. That it's gonna be ok)  
Say OK  
(Don't run away, don't run away)  
(Say that it's gonna be alright. That it's gonna be ok, don't run away)  
Will you say OK  
(Say that it's gonna be alright. That it's gonna be ok)_

I looked up at him just as he turned to look at me. I smiled a small smile and so did he. I don't know if I can't fall in love with him. Am I going against my destiny… _our_ destiny by fighting it?

My stomach did a somersault at the thought of 'our destiny'. It was getting late; almost 11, so we decided to leave. Tidus got in his car and took Gippal home while I and Rikku went the opposite way, to our home. The ride was quiet. I was consumed with my thoughts, Rikku was fiddling with the radio until she found a song she liked and sat back, singing along.

All I heard was background music; I just wasn't paying attention to the words. Before I knew it, we were home. Rikku jumped out and said she was going to take a nice, long bubble bath. I just nodded and changed into some more comfortable clothes; I'd take a shower later.

It was nice outside, so I decided to sit on the bench on the front porch for a while. There was a light breeze that swayed my hair as I slowly rocked on the swinging bench. I could hear music coming from the bathroom. Knowing Rikku she probably had candles light everywhere, the window open, letting the breeze flow in, a stereo playing some slow song while unwinding in her luxurious, bubble bath.

_For all those times you stood by me  
For all the truth that you made me see  
For all the joy you brought to my life  
For all the wrong that you made right  
For every dream you made come true  
For all the love I found in you  
I'll be forever thankful baby  
You're the one who held me up  
Never let me fall  
You're the one who saw me through, through it all_

I smiled. It was typical of Rikku to pick out a love song. I wonder what was on her mind. I closed the eyes and let the melody seep into my soul; allowed myself to soak in the mood that the music was setting. For some reason I was feeling somewhat depressed. There was so much to think about, and it seemed like so little time.

I heard him pull up, but I didn't open my eyes, didn't move. He probably couldn't even see with it being so dark. I heard him get out of the car and, what sounded like, him go up the walkway to the door. I could hear his footsteps get softer and quieter until I couldn't hear them anymore. I waited for the sound of the door opening and closing, but I never did.

_You were my strength when I was weak  
You were my voice when I couldn't speak  
You were my eyes when I couldn't see  
You saw the best there was in me  
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach  
You gave me faith 'coz you believed  
I'm everything I am  
Because you loved me_

I opened my eyes and my heart skipped a beat, and then pounded in my chest. The reason I hadn't heard him open the door was because he was standing in front of me, leaning against one of the poles on the porch, just watching me.

I guess he had seen me after all. I moved over slightly and he came and sat down next to me. We didn't say anything to each other for a few minutes; we just sat there looking at whatever.

_You gave me wings and made me fly  
You touched my hand I could touch the sky  
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me  
You said no star was out of reach  
You stood by me and I stood tall  
I had your love I had it all  
I'm grateful for each day you gave me  
Maybe I don't know that much  
But I know this much is true  
I was blessed because I was loved by you_

"Yuna," his voice was soft and gentle.

"Yes, Tidus?"

He paused for a minute and I felt him look at me. "…How long are you staying?" His voice sounded a little troubled.

I looked down at my hands. That was one of the other many complications of falling for him; I wasn't sure how long I'd stay. My heart ached at the thought of staying only a couple of months.

"I… I don't know, Tidus." My voice came out very quiet. I could hear the shakiness in his voice.

_You were my strength when I was weak  
You were my voice when I couldn't speak  
You were my eyes when I couldn't see  
You saw the best there was in me  
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach  
You gave me faith 'coz you believed  
I'm everything I am  
Because you loved me_

"You don't know?" He seemed fazed by those three words. I nodded but couldn't look at him.

"No, I don't know. It's not permanent, but it's not just for a couple of weeks either. It could be a couple months, it could be many months; I don't know, it all depends." I told him truthfully.

"Depends on what?"

_You were always there for me  
The tender wind that carried me  
A light in the dark shining your love into my life  
You've been my inspiration  
Through the lies you were the truth  
My world is a better place because of you_

"Depends on how fast I accomplish what I came here to do." My eyes traveled anywhere else but his face. I didn't want to see what was being portrayed in his beautiful cerulean eyes. He got off of the bench and got on his knees in front of me. He placed his hand under my chin and made me look at him. A tingling feeling shot through my body at the simple but meaningful touch, and my heart was no longer calm. I'm sure he could even hear it beating erratically in my chest.

_You were my strength when I was weak  
You were my voice when I couldn't speak  
You were my eyes when I couldn't see  
You saw the best there was in me  
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach  
You gave me faith 'coz you believed  
I'm everything I am  
Because you loved me_

"What did you come here to do?" I tried to take a deep breath but my heart was pounding too hard for me to do that.

"I'm here to help you," I told him in more than a whisper. "To give you hope…" He rubbed his thumb over my check and stared into my eyes. I stared back and slowly a tear escaped my eye. He wiped it away.

"Don't cry. It hurts me to see it." His voice was sweet and made my heart beat faster still. I closed my eyes. He placed his other hand on my cheek and I opened my eyes. He brought my face closer to his.

'_I wonder if it would be wrong to kiss her…'_ He thought. I had to smile a little. I leaned in a little more. _'I would pull away if it was wrong, if I didn't want you to…'_

_You were always there for me  
The tender wind that carried me  
A light in the dark shining your love into my life  
You've been my inspiration  
Through the lies you were the truth  
My world is a better place because of you_

The corners of his lips turned up a little and he closed the distance. He kissed me slowly, gently, as if he wanted it to last. My hand went up to his cheek and I savored the taste of his lips, the sweetness of his kiss. He pulled away slightly and let our foreheads rest against each other's. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and just held me while my hands stayed on his cheeks.

_I'm everything I am  
because you loved me…_

The song ended, but atmosphere that it created stayed. I wanted to stay in his arms, I loved the feeling. It made _me_ feel safe, warm, and secure. I wanted to laugh at how ironic that thought was. I was supposed to be making him feel safe and he was making me feel that way.

"Is this why you're here too?" His voice was light and I knew he was kidding. He stood up and pulled me with him. He placed my hands in his and smiled.

"No, I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you," I smiled back, but, only, I was serious. His went around my waist and my hands ended up on his chest.

"You sound so serious, but it makes me happy." His eyes danced and I looked down at my hands. It felt so right for me to be in his arms, his around my waist, mine lightly resting on his chest.

"Why? Why does that make you so happy?" I wondered.

"Because you did," he whispered in my ear.

My arms went around his neck and I leaned my head on his shoulder. His head was in the crook of my neck and I felt his lips touch my neck; kissing it lightly.

"Yunie! Where are you?" We heard Rikku yell some where in the house. "Are you hiding?"

Tidus chuckled and pulled away. "Will I see you tomorrow?" he asked, walking away.

"Only if you want to…" I left the answer open; wondering what he wanted.

"Of course," he whispered.

"Then, yes." Tidus smiled and started walking down the walkway. I was about to go in the house when he stopped and turned back around.

"I would've loved you anyway, you know," he said, his eyes completely serious.

"What do you mean, 'anyway'?" I queried kind of confused.

"If you hadn't fallen in love with me…" I almost cried again. I ran off my porch and into his arms. He caught me with ease and held me tightly. I closed my eyes.

"I don't know how I could _not_ have fallen in love with you," I told him.

He kissed my forehead and held me. The stars twinkled and shined brightly above us, as if they were silently approving my choice.

I heard the door open and then close a few seconds later. Rikku should feel good now, since she was right. She was completely right.

"Tidus," I murmured.

"Mm?"

"I love you."

**

* * *

A/N: So what do you think? I hope you liked it. I've been extremely busy with school recently. Finals will be here soon, so I'll try to get another chapter out before than but if not, summer will be here in 5 ½ weeks! Stay tuned and Review please!**

**E/N**: Erkay, so in MS Word, this chapter is twenty-nine pages, including the author's notes and editor's notes. There are exactly 6900 words in it, and my hand hurts a lot. But it was worth it; I get to read the chapter before all you readers! Don't forget to R&R!


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